World Tour Finals: Farag on Form to Dispatch Coll

World No.1 Ali Farag got the better of World No.3 Paul Coll in straight games to set up a mouthwatering final clash with World No.2 Mostafa Asal at the Xbox PSA World Tour Finals.

Farag and Coll were meeting for the sixth time this season and Farag levelled the head-to-head record at three wins apiece courtesy of an 11-10, 11-6 win over the Kiwi.

After taking a 1-0 lead on a sudden death decider, Farag ruthlessly dispatched Coll’s loose shots at the start of the second and Coll grew more and more frustrated as Farag absorbed the pressure and nullified him, resulting in some simple errors at the mid-point of the second game.

The Egyptian then held off a mini comeback from Coll at the back end of the second to seal his spot in the title decider of the final event of the 2023-24 season.

“Paul and I just exchanged a couple of words, saying how great of a season we’ve both had,” said Farag.

“We’ve both been getting to the latter stages of events and it’s not easy. It takes a toll on your body and mind, and it takes a whole team behind you to keep you motivated. Even though it was the second to last match of the season, we both pushed really hard.

“The first game was played at such an erratic pace. Thankfully, he hit way too many errors for his liking, but the character he is he came back really strongly.

“I’m two for two [in sudden death] at this tournament, so it seems like I like it, but not really deep inside. I treat it like any point because if you tense up or try to be too smart then it benefits your opponent.

“Ever since it [the World Tour Finals] has been in my home town, I’ve been losing in the semis or the group stages. That’s thanks to Mostafa Asal, as he’s been the one who has been beaten me. The World Tour Finals is at the back end of the season, so you have to drag yourself up and play your best squash against the best players in the world.”

Result

[1] Ali Farag (EGY) bt [2] Paul Coll (NZL) 2-0: 11-10, 11-6 (30m)